Leeds publisher is booked in for battle with capital

A Leeds book publisher has begun a new chapter in its existence with a pledge to take a stand against the media luvvies of London.

Armley Press has put out a total of nine books since it was established by city writer Mick McCann in 2007.

Mick McCann.

Now it has relaunched with a call for fired-up writers across Leeds to submit potential material for publication.

And Mick is hopeful he can strike a blow against what he sees as the capital’s self-serving dominance of the country’s literary scene.

He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We want Armley Press to be the antithesis of the London media and publishers and to champion the north of England and, in particular, Leeds.

“We’re looking for writing that is daring, unorthodox and dynamic.

“It’s time to move away from the formulaic, risk-adverse practices of the major London publishing houses.”

Mick adopted many of the do-it-yourself ideals of the punk movement when he set up Armley Press to release his first novel, Coming Out As A Bowie Fan in Leeds, Yorkshire, England.

Another of his books, How Leeds Changed The World, was picked as a gift for VIPs attending the Tour de France Grand Départ in the city last year.

Armley Press’s other main writer is John Lake, who has won acclaim for his Leeds 6 trilogy of gritty crime thrillers.

Titles now being released by the publisher include Ray Brown’s In All Beginnings, Sam Priestley’s Reliability Of Rope and Chris Nickson’s Leeds, The Biography.

But ever-ambitious Mick is keen to make sure the revamped venture involves more than just books alone, saying: “We’re hoping the new Armley Press can be about the communication of ideas and vibes in different forms, be they short stories, films, blogs or articles.”

For further information, visit the www.armleypress.com website.

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